|
|
California Wine Tasting Notes
|
2007 Folie a Deux, California, Menage a Trois Rosé $9 Score: 87.0 By blending Merlot, Syrah and Gewurztraminer, Folie a Deux winery has created a bright rose-colored wine with floral notes in the nose, an off-dry palate with flavors reminiscent of watermelon, light body and good acid. It makes a good aperitif and a great match for sushi. |
|
2007 Folie a Deux, California, Menage a Trois White $9 Score: 88.0 This off-dry white blend of Moscato, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc offers fresh melon and honeysuckle aromas and flavors with enough acid to keep it vibrant. A super value. |
|
Menage a Trois Red California, Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon $9 Score: 90.0 This full-bodied red blend serves up rich blueberry jam fruit with allspice overtones and soft tannins. A fruit bomb, but a well balanced fruit bomb. |
|
2006 Round Hill California, Merlot $8 Score: 86.0 Lighter in color and body than the usual Merlot, the 2006 Round Hill has dry cherry and mineral flavors, soft tannin and a crisp edge through the cherry-berry-earth finish. Better structured than a "fruit bomb" and it's a bargain at $8. |
|
2006 Redwood Creek California Merlot $8 Score: 84.0 This is a simple wine with a subdued nose, yet concentrated black cherry and plum fruit on the palate. It shows supple tannins on the mid-palate, decent balance and a chalky finish. It's better balanced than you would expect from this price point. It's a good quaff for casual dining -- the perfect pizza wine. |
|
2006 Redwood Creek California Chardonnay $8 Score: 90.0 Don't let the price fool you; Redwood Creek's 2006 Chardonnay is worth twice the price. At this price point you can't expect much varietal character or complexity, yet this is a superbly made wine that reminds me in some ways of a Spanish Albariño with more body. It's a blend of Chardonnay (87%) with lesser amounts of Chenin Blanc, Viognier and various other white varieties, but the Chardonnay shows through with a hint of lemon-chiffon wrapped around a citrus peel core and fine minerality through the finish. There's no oak here, so the fruit stands on its own. It's a beautiful food wine, particularly with spicy Asian or cajun fare, and it's a bargain to boot. |
|
2006 Red Rock California Merlot Reserve $12 Score: 83.0 This E&J Gallo brand was only available in restaurants until the '06 vintage. It's a light bodied red with raspberry overtones and modest tannin. You won't find complexity (or any oak character, for that matter), but there is elegance in its simplicity, balance and structure, making it any easy match at the table, and a bargain at $12. |
|
2007 Round Hill Oak Free California Chardonnay $9 Score: 87.0 With no oak ageing this Chardonnay is crisp and vibrant, medium bodied, and full of green apples and tart lemon flavors with a hint of apricot. A fine aperitif and food wine, it will pair with a wide variety of seafood, poultry, pork or pasta. The alcohol is a reasonable 13.2%. A bargain at $9. |
|
2006 Round Hill California Cabernet Sauvignon: $9 Score: 84.0 A medium-light bodied wine with aromas and flavors of cherry and raspberry with a hint of black currant. It's all about the fruit, pure and simple. Showing velvety tannins and elegant structure, this is an easy quaffer you can enjoy without much thought to your wallet. P.S. -- only 13% alcohol |
|
2005 Bargetto Rosso, California, (Dolcetto, Zinfandel, Merlot, Tempranillo, Carignane, Refosco and Nebbiolo) $12 Score: 92.0 An interesting blend of Italian, French and Spanish varieties, it weighs in at 14.5% alcohol. Of all of its components, it most resembles Tempranillo -- a velvet covered whip -- silky smooth with a spicy-acidic kick on the extraordinarily long finish. The fruit tends toward raspberry and cranberry, with vanilla and light milk chocolate tones in the background. Only 490 cases produced. Amazing value |
|
2006 McManis California Merlot $10 Score: 87.0 Merlot fans will rejoice in this silky gem. It has the typical cherry-berry fruit you've come to expect from Merlot, with a light underlying layer of damp earth. The tannins are soft and fuzzy, suggesting it's best to drink it now and through the next three years. Excellent value. |
|
2004 Ironstone Vineyards California Cabernet Sauvignon $10 Score: 92.0 A spicy, smokey Cabernet Sauvignon with depth and persistence, a layer of milk chocolate, blackberry and a hint of black currant. Medium bodied with light tannin and fine balance. A very fine value. |
|
2004 Ironstone Vineyards California Cabernet Franc $10 Score: 95.0 Instead of the usual high alcohol, late harvest nonsense that passes for table wine these days, Ironstone has released a number of wines with a reasonable 13.5% alcohol, great balance and unusual complexity. This Cabernet Franc is one of the finest I've ever encountered. It's a multi-faceted wine with bright fruit flavors, layers of mineral and spice. The fruit tends toward intense layers of blueberry, pomegranate and loganberry, backed by racy minerality, vibrant acidity and understated spices (nutmeg, cardamom, a hint of vanilla). The finish lingers for minutes. The negligible tannin steps aside, making this a wine to enjoy now and for the next 5 to 7 years. And it's an unbelievable bargain! |
|
2006 McManis California Viognier $10 Score: 90.0 I'm a big fan of McManis wines, which deliver pure varietal fruit at a bargain fruit. This '06 Viognier delivers intense dried apricot, a hint of pineapple, and vibrant minerality, with medium body and a silky texture. Reminds me of some experimental Viogniers from Northern Italy. A great value. |
|
2005 Christine Andrew California Viognier $13 Score: 89.0 Sourced from Lodi, this Viognier is a wonderfully restrained and balanced rendition sporting just 13.5% alcohol, as opposed to most California Vigoniers that fall in the 14.5 to 15% range. It shows pleasant white peach aromas and flavors supported by floral scents and stone-mineral notes that carry the finish. Refreshing and easy to pair with any salad, seafood or poultry dishes. |
| Next |